The Next Chapter Begins
by Sekirei1988
Summary: The morning after their wedding, Eriah and Farkas have a little discussion about where they now stand in each other's lives. Takes place after Clearing the Air.


The sun rose over Riften and filtered into the windows of Honeyside. Sleeping in bed was the Dragonborn, Eriah, and her new husband, Farkas of the Companions. Farkas was the first to awake and he slowly looked over to see his wife lying facing him. They had married the day before. Sighing a little, the werewolf turned onto his side and brushed her hair from her face. He thought about the night before. He had learned that she had never been with a man before and was understandably anxious. She almost didn't go through with it but his gentle guidance and communication managed to break the barriers she had had since she was young in order to protect herself. He was also rather amazed that she had remained, as the more conservative people would say, a maiden up until now. Most men and women would give themselves up at a younger age, including himself. He wondered if Eriah had wanted to save herself or if it had something to do with the fact she couldn't have children so she just never went that far.

Farkas was inclined to believe that she had been afraid to give herself away, not wanting to get hurt on multiple levels. Living in the Imperial City until she turned 30 and returned to Skyrim, he figured she had also heard too many stories of scandals about the upper-class girls getting pregnant by layabouts and having their reputations ruined. It didn't really matter to Farkas either way. In the end, he had beaten out every other man who had ever wanted the Dragonborn for themselves and unlike the pigs she likely had crossed paths with, he didn't see her as a conquest because he had been the one to bed her. It was the natural conclusion to the courtship they had gone through. She was his wife now and he had been the one she decided to trust, not just her heart, but her body to as well. Farkas found that he saw Eriah in an entirely different way than he had even the day before. She wasn't the Dragonborn, a war hero, vampire hunter, a Companion, or the savior of an entire island. She was just...Eriah. He felt his heart swell with love for the woman he married. Propping himself up on an elbow, Farkas idly started tracing patterns on Eriah's skin. She was beautiful. Of course, he had always thought so but now, it seemed like she had grown exponentially so since they joined as man and wife.

He watched Eriah sigh in her sleep and curl up just a bit. It tore his heart in two but not in sadness. It was with joy. It wasn't until this morning that Farkas realized that he had been waiting all his life for her and he never knew it. Lying down fully, he wrapped his arm around the Dragonborn's waist and pulled her to his chest. He held her tightly, enjoying the feeling of her skin on his. He gave her a light kiss on the forehead before closing his eyes against the tears that filled them and resting his head on hers. He felt Eriah stir but kept his hold strong. "Farkas?" came her sleepy voice. He opened his silver eyes to meet her tired brown ones. When she saw him, she was more awake and concern crossed her features. "Are you okay?" she asked, reaching up to set a hand on his bare chest. "Yeah. Sorry, I'm just trying to come to grips with reality." he rasped with a lopsided grin. Eriah's confused look met his words and he just brought his hand to his eyes to clear them. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked. "Oh, no. You were wonderful. I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have been chosen by you. I mean...I never imagined that I'd find myself married to the most beautiful creature in the world." he said.

Eriah blushed. Farkas wasn't the talkative type but the fact he was so forthcoming with her had been a sign to everyone that he liked her a lot, at least when they were nothing more than friends. Truth be told, she was the one who was lucky. Farkas was more experienced than she was so when it came out that she had never given herself up to a man before, she was naturally afraid of it being a deal breaker. But just like when she admitted to him that she couldn't have children, Farkas surprised her once again by accepting that without complaint. He had been profoundly patient, made no demands, and worked hard to make sure she was comfortable with anything that happened. It had hurt tremendously at first, driving her to tears, but she soldiered on. It was a challenge like everything she had faced and Eriah was one determined woman who saw everything through to whatever end. Through it all, Farkas had held her hand and went slow, assuring her he would stop if it got to be too much. As everything got easier for her to manage, the pace picked up and she was sent on a ride where the rest of the world ceased to be.

Waking up to him with that in mind, Eriah felt different. It was like a part of her had died the night before and some new woman had taken her place. She knew that she had turned the page to a new chapter in her story and she could never go back to being the woman she had once been. She had given Farkas everything the night before. He had held her heart for a long time and now he had her body and soul. It felt less like a death and more like an awakening on par to when she awoke to her destiny as the Dragonborn. The sheer amount of happiness that filled her heart made tears spring up in her eyes as she looked up at her husband. "I love you." she said before capturing his lips in a heated kiss. Farkas answered it and held her close. They broke apart as she broke down, feeling a lot of different emotions. Farkas just quietly brushed her hair with his hand before taking one of hers, her fingers curling over his, and holding it to his chest. He leaned his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

A few minutes, Eriah tried to rein herself in. It wasn't really like her to get emotional over things, even though she usually allowed herself to when she felt entirely safe. Skyrim was a beautiful but harsh province and Nords like herself were hardy folk who generally kept a tight hold on things in order to survive. Lying in bed with Farkas was one of the safest places she could be and openly show her emotions. "Feel better?" Farkas asked. "Yeah. Much better. Thank you." she said, rubbing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Her husband smiled before sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. Eriah watched him pull his clothes on before sitting up herself. Out of habit, she kept the blanket to her chest but it was also because she still felt embarrassed about being seen. Physically, she was rather average. Not overly busty but not on the small side either. Her face wasn't exactly plain but not drop-dead gorgeous either. It was like some weird balance between looking pretty enough to be noticed in passing but not so beautiful that she was a distraction to everyone. It served her well being able to pass through the various cities and holds of Skyrim without drawing too much attention.

Farkas turned around to see his wife in one of those thoughtful moods. He chuckled a bit at the fact she was hiding from him, a little late since he had seen everything the night before. Still, he knew her comfort levels weren't at the level where it wouldn't bother her outside bedroom romps. Eriah's choice of wearing heavy armor was an indicator that self-protection in all things was something she took seriously and spoke of her private nature. He didn't mind that she was feeling vulnerable at the moment. Eventually, she'd grow comfortable with it. Coming around to her side of the bed, Farkas set a hand on her cheek and brought her eyes up to meet his. "I'll head upstairs so you can get dressed in private, love. We should talk about where we're going to live now that we're married if it's not too soon. I don't want you to feel rushed." he said. She smiled at him and pulled him down into a kiss. She shivered as his hand brushed the bare skin of her side before he pulled away and headed upstairs. Only when he was gone did she drop the blanket and got off the bed. She braced herself against the wall for a moment, marveling that even after sleeping it off, her legs still felt like jelly.

Pulling her clothes on and running a brush through her hair, Eriah braided a couple cords and took a deep breath. She felt uncharacteristically shy to join Farkas, aware that she saw him way different than before. She wondered if she should pull her armor on for the sense of protection and comfort it gave but decided not to. It was rare for her to be seen not wearing armor if one wasn't part of her close circle of friends. Farkas had been in that circle ever since she joined the Companions and she didn't want to alienate him just because she was still reorganizing things in her heart on her new place in his life. Farkas was three years her senior and had been with other women before her so he was entirely at ease with being seen. Eriah was pretty confident she'd get to that point in time as well.

She took another deep breath and paused when she smelled something cooking. Her stomach growled and she laughed a little. Heading up the stairs, she found her husband frying some salted meat over the fire. He looked over his shoulder when he sensed her there and he smiled. Eriah smiled back before sitting at the table. Farkas flipped the meat over and started frying the other side. A companionable silence filled the space between them. When he was done, Farkas added some seasonings he had found around the house and set a plate before her. "Here. I thought this might perk you up a bit." he said, taking his own seat. "Thank you. This smells great." Eriah said before leaning back in her chair to snag a basket of rolls from a shelf. "You doing okay?" Farkas asked after taking a bite. "Yes. It's been a whirlwind, truth be told. I feel like a new person and I'm okay with that. But I still feel a bit confused. Nothing to do with you, love. Just trying to figure myself out again." Eriah replied.

Farkas reached over to set a hand on hers. "Take your time, Eriah. I'm still surprised that you had never shared your bed before but at the same time, that's just like you. I love you for that. I feel...special that you decided to take a chance with me. Now, more than ever, you make me feel invincible." he said. He gave a toothy grin when her face went red. She flipped her hand over to curl her fingers around his. "Eriah...did I hurt you last night? It started weighing on me while I was waiting for you to come up." Farkas then said. The Dragonborn met his eyes with some surprise. "Well, it did hurt at first but that was to be expected. I was...inexperienced. I've had talks about it with my mother as I grew up and she did warn me that the first time would hurt a bit. It wasn't anything you did. Just a natural consequence of my first time." she explained, feeling more confident about things.

She smiled at Farkas and squeezed his hand. "I'm not delicate, love. Not once did I think you were going to break me or tear me apart. You're too kind and too gentle to do that. You did everything you could to make it as painless as you could. You kept me focused on your voice, which made it easier for me to keep myself from completely losing it. Truth be told, a part of me was afraid I would accidentally Shout once things really started taking off. I'm glad I didn't." she said. Farkas smiled and she felt her face heat up when it turned a rather flirty grin. Getting up, he came over and bent down to her ear. "Now that you have some experience, perhaps the next time, we can turn it up a bit." he said, rather huskily. Eriah looked at him rather shocked before embarrassment set in and she started to laugh a bit. "Farkas." she whined as she buried her face in her hands. The Companion gave a hearty laugh, thumping her back a bit. "I couldn't resist. You're so cute when you blush." he said, sitting back in his chair.

Eriah threw him a sour look that didn't have any real impact. "Stendarr spare me." she mumbled, shoveling some more food in her mouth. "All kidding aside, now that we're married, we should discuss living arrangements. I doubt you'd want us to live in Jorrvaskr because we'd have no privacy." Farkas said, getting down to business. "That's for damn sure. After all, the others would never shut up about us if you turned into a lovesick pup who can't wait to get me in bed." Eriah said, throwing a teasing jab at him. Farkas let his head drop to the table as he laughed. "Oh gods, what did we get ourselves into." he said. The Dragonborn gave a cheeky smirk. "There's always my house in Whiterun. I just wonder if Kodlak would let us." she mused. "I'm sure the old man wouldn't mind. The rooms we have in Jorrvaskr are mainly because it's the only home we have and it's easier to get the first word on jobs if we're living under the same roof. Until yesterday, my first duty was to the Companions but now, you're my first priority. You're my wife, Eriah. Wherever you choose to live, I will follow you." he said.

Eriah smiled into the mug she was drinking of. Pulling it away, she looked at her reflection in the water. "Breezehome is nice but small. We'd have to take Lydia into account." she said. Farkas knew she spoke of her housecarl. Eriah was Thane of Whiterun and Lydia had been given to her to protect the home she had bought, as was her duty. "I'm all for moving in, Eriah. As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter where." he said. The Dragonborn smiled and the two finished their plates. They headed back to the bedroom and Eriah made a beeline for her Daedric Armor. She stood before it, not pulling it on just yet. Farkas came to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and started to kiss her neck. Eriah's knees turned to jelly as she sighed. Her hand came up to mesh in his long hair. She hissed when he bit her. He started sucking on the skin where he bit her before pulling away. He held the Dragonborn steady as she tried to find her balance again. "Really, Farkas?" she asked, knowing he had planted a love bite on her. "Gotta let others know you're my woman." he said. Eriah just laughed before pushing him off. "At this rate, I should be careful to make sure you don't jump me when I least expect it." she said, throwing him a cheeky grin.

Farkas laughed before laying claim to her lips. "I would never do that, Eriah. I will always ask first and who knows? I'll bet that you'd be the one to jump me." he barbed. "Touche." the Dragonborn said, before turning back to her armor. She hooked the greaves and wrist armor on before taking the breastplate. With Farkas's help, she got it all strapped on and she took the helmet, hooking it under her arm, after grabbing her Elven warhammer. "Can you see it?" she asked, referring to the bite. "No. I made sure that it was in a place easily hidden. I was just joking before." Farkas replied as he finished pulling on his steel armor and grabbing his sword. They looked at each other, silence between them. They looked like an odd pair on multiple levels but at the same time, they looked perfect together. "Um...what was our plan today? Are we going back together or was there something that you need to do?" Farkas then asked sheepishly. Eriah chuckled before setting a hand on his shoulder. "I have to stop at Windhelm on the way home. Let's do it together." she said. "What's in Windhelm?" Farkas asked, following her out the door.

"I managed to save up enough money to buy Hjerim. I want to land the deal with Jorlief and then, once we get home, I'm going to need some jobs to earn the funds to furnish the place." Eriah explained, locking the door and putting the key in a pouch. "Sounds like you have everything planned out. I'll be happy to help in any way I can." the man said. "Well, I wouldn't feel right asking you for all your pay from the jobs you do but if you can chip in here and there, that would be great." the Dragonborn suggested. "I can manage that. We can hammer out the details on the way to Eastmarch." Farkas agreed. With a last kiss, Eriah led the way to the gate as she pulled on her Daedric helmet. Farkas followed, admiring the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with. He hoped he'd be a good enough husband for her. Given who she was, Eriah had her choice in men, some more worthy of her than he was. He thought back to the conversation they had the day before yesterday. She had said he was worthy of her and that she hoped he found her equally worthy despite some shortcomings. Farkas knew the moment he decided to marry her that she was the only woman for him. He vowed to make sure she knew it every day.


End file.
